Chapter 5

Outside the walls of Ailkradal...

Tall round high towers from each side, strong stone walls, and iron gates. 

Andrea, can't stop herself from being amazed by whatever she saw from outside the castle. It was located at the top of the hill from these woods. While riding that black horse coming in here, she feels like a real princess from a fairytale while looking at the picturesque surrounding and the seven moons that seem to follow them on their journey. This place is such magical, a perfect place to live a happy life with the person she loves and with their future children. But how could she fit in here? This is not her world. There is no way that she will have a future with Ibrahil because she is just a lowly human that he will ditch someday when he'll get to find a real princess to marry.

"Welcome to Ailkradal, my Queen," Ibrahil said while he turned his head to Andrea's side.

She rested her face at his right shoulder.

"Ibrahil, are you sure about this? I think I'm not ready to face your family. Look at me, I'm just a lowly human. I don't think I fit to even enter in your kingdom," she said in a crackly voice

He pressed his hands unto hers as if giving her the guarantee that everything will be alright.

The horse slightly galloped when the iron gate suddenly opened. 

"Are we not supposed to get off," she asked innocently.

"Don't tire yourself thinking, just enjoy yourself," he patted her hands.

They started running again soon as they entered. 

"Oh I see, so the gate is way far from the castle its self," she said at the back of her mind.

"Wow!" She exclaimed with eyes wide open while she was pointing at huge flowers with huge butterflies around. 

And before she knew it, they were running under bright huge luminous mushrooms in different colors. Her heart can't contain the beauty in this magical paradise. This time, she won't mind being enchanted in here forever.

"Ibrahil can we stop?" She tapped Ibrahils shoulders. " I need to take some pictures."

Ibrahil slightly pulled the horses' rope to minimize its speed. 

"You have the luxury of time to do that afterward, we need to reach the castle soon," he said.

Andrea just enjoyed the magical scenery while hugging him tightly.

Another tall Iron gate.

Ibrahil snaps his fingers and the gate suddenly opened. Royal guards came out to give him a grand Entrance and did the sword drill. He offered his hand to her after he got off himself. She was about to hold his hand when he grabbed him by her waist. 

"Careful," he uttered while smiling.

"Thank you," she mouthed.

Her heart was pounding heavily and her jaw almost drop when she look up to look closely at the castle. It has tall towers as if reaching the sky, with bright and colorful arch windows. The exterior design was a combination of gold and white marble. 

"Wow! I didn't imagine it would be this grand," she looked at Ibrahil with her eyes wide open.

He just smiled at her and grab her waist. 

"Welcome home my Queen," he said while smiling at her.

She was still in awe. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Ibrahil holds her hand and leads her inside the castle.

"BROTHER!" 

A person that looks very similar to Ibrahil came rushing towards them. 

"Hey!" Ibrahil answered back while grinning.

"I have missed you," the man said and hugged his brother tightly, and then both tapped their shoulders. He suddenly looked at her.

"Who is she?" The man asked.

Ibrahil turned her gaze at her.

"Oh, by the way, this is Andrea, my soon-to-be Queen," he said with eyes full of love.

"And Andy, this is Ibrago, my twin brother."

She was shocked he got a twin. "They look so much the same, oh goodness God is so good to have made two good looking-almost-perfect twins," she said at the back of her mind.

She extended her right hand to him to have a handshake when he suddenly bowed down in front of her. 

"Oh," she took back her hand and bowed down confused.

"It's good to finally meet you Ibrago," she said in a shameful voice.

He didn't utter any words to answer her, instead, he looks at his brother and said "The king and queen are waiting for you at the solar," he said in a lively voice and walked along with Ibrahil with his hand on Ibrahils shoulder. She was left looking at their back when she saw Ibrago looked at her again coldly. 

"What's his thing!? He can't even hide his disgust! Oh, Lord now this makes me more nervous being in this place, it was just another prince, what more with the king and queen," she said at the back of her mind while she let out a deep sigh. 

"My Prince Ibrahil!" That enchanting sweet voice came from a graceful lady that looks exactly like a goddess, with long dark brown hair that almost hit the ground with a robe silver and dew. Wearing that tall golden crown designed with different fine jewels. She also has that leaf-shaped pointed ears just like Ibrahil when he changed into something powerful. She stood up from her seat and spread her arms waiting for her son to hug her.

Ibrahil runs in excitement to hug that woman. 

"Is she a princess or something, she's too young to be a mother queen," she talked to herself while looking at them with many thoughts in her head. While she has Ibrago at her side not even giving her a gaze as if she doesn't exist. She clenched her fist, she can sense something bad about this Encantado.

"It's a shame that you are wearing my Ibrahils face, you snobbish jerk!" 

She lifted her face when he caught the king looking in her direction. She bowed down at him and he just nodded.

He got that strong jaws defining his power. Dark hair and hazel brown eyes just like his two sons. The golden crown suits him well with that golden robe that loudly speaks royalty.

Ibrahil called her attention. She then went in their direction and praying for her shaking knees not to fall.

"I just hope I have worn a nice dress." She said at the back of her mind while squeezing her jeans.

"Oh, look at her, she's so lovely son," said the woman.

"Omg, so she really is the Queen?" 

She bowed down in front of her, thanks to Ibrago she somehow managed how to greet a royalty. Ibrahil gracefully grabbed her waist and look at his parents proudly.

"Mother and father, this is Andrea. She's a human that I have met from the Island, my mate..."

Andrea felt her heart thumping as if wanting to jump out from her chest. She pressed her lips together as she felt ashamed and nervous while looking at the tile floor. 

"And Andrea," he continued. She raised her head this time to look at him.

"Meet my parents, Queen Hera and King Zypher." 

She bent her knees and bowed her head. 

"It's nice to meet you both your highness," she said gracefully and gave them a radiant smile while sweating granules.

The king just nodded while he grip his sceptre while the queen came to her and held her cheeks. "How come you're so pretty, human? No wonder my son fell for you," she said in between giggles.

"Thank you, your highness," she said in a shy voice while smiling. "You too your highness, you look like a goddess... you look so young as if you never have kids. You even seemed like you're younger than me," she added.

"Oh, this kid," said the queen while caressing her face.

She then held Ibrahils hand as if asking for a rescue. Maybe the queen felt that she was uncomfortable, she then suggested for them to rest for a while since they came from a long journey. She told them to be ready at midnight as they will have a banquet for the return of the crown prince. 

Ibrahil leads her to the grand staircase. It was made of glass and it was sparkling. Never in her wildest dream that she will be in this kind of place. Everything was just extraordinary that everything she saw always puts her in awe. She doesn't want to make even a single step. She was scared she might stain it.

Ibrahil held her hand and look at her full of fascination. 

"What?" She asked annoyed. 

"C'mon Andy, the stairs won't hurt you," he chuckled.

She raised her eyebrows "Shut up, I was just amazed, you see we don't have like this in the U.S." Then started walking upstairs with heavy steps. She heard him laugh hard.

Ibrahil was brought to one of the guest rooms. It was wide and tall arch ceilings. The bed was so beautiful as if made for a princess.

"Take a rest, I will come back before midnight ok?" He said and then kissed her forehead.

"You should, I don't actually know where to go from outside that door. I'll have myself missing inside this castle," she said while she laid her back from the bed.

"I know, so make sure you don't go anywhere without me ok? You'll get to know every corner of this castle eventually doesn't worry." 

"You're brother don't seem to like me. He was too cold earlier. 

" Don't mind him, he was just like that to everyone always suspicious."

She yawned. She was so tired that she dozed herself off to sleep.

Andrea woke up when she felt someone is staring at her from a distance. She arose from her bed. 

"Who's there?" She grabs one of her pillows and hugs it. She sighed when saw Ibrahil came out from that tall curtain from her window.

"You scared me you jerk!" She said and throw her the pillow. He suddenly picked it up and walk towards her. 

"No, it's not Ibrahil. What is he doing in my room?"

"Ibrago-" before she can say anything, Ibrago snap his fingers and made that pillow float in the thin air, and in just a split second it is now covering her face suffocating her. She tried to take it off while kicking and giving her all strength but to no avail. She no longer has the strength to fight when she felt her lungs going to explode with no air coming through.  She heard a loud crash before she lost her consciousness...